Black History Month: 'Beaten up because I was accused of teaching politics'

Martha Holman is about to finish training as a teacher in Wales after fleeing Zimbabwe.

She says she was imprisoned for standing up for her rights while working as a geography teacher.

"I was beaten up because I was accused of teaching politics in my class," she says.

"I found myself in a vulnerable situation where I had to escape from the country."

She now lives in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, after a friend in Carmarthenshire paid for her tickets to come to the UK.

There have been calls to increase diversity in the teaching profession and in the curriculum in Wales.

Statistics show 0.2% of registered teachers identify as Black, African, Caribbean or Black British in Wales.

Ms Holman said: "We are talking about a curriculum where they will be teaching say Black Lives Matter or say the Black History Month.

"I don't understand how that can be taught in an environment where there are no role models.

"I don’t understand how that subject will impact on young learners when they don’t have black teachers."

Ms Holman said she was now "excited" to get back to teaching and becoming a role model to "all learners".